WSG Tirol took a big step towards staying in the league in round 26 of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga. With the 2-1 home win against FC Blau-Weiß Linz (match report >>>), the lead over the relegation zone was extended to eight points.
The Upper Austrians are five points ahead of bottom team Austria Lustenau, who had to admit defeat in the Ländle derby against SCR Altach (match report >>>).
“Eight points is a lot, especially in the qualifying group, but nothing has been won yet. We have to keep going in the same way. Anything can happen,” warned WSG defender Kofi Schulz on “Sky” after the game.
There are still six rounds left to play, so 18 points can still be awarded. The tension in the relegation battle is far from over.
Silberberger: “The boy can be worth his weight in gold for us”
At the WSG, a striker, Mahamadou Diarra, may be coming into his own at just the right time. The Malian, who was the first African to move directly to Wattens last summer, scored twice against the Upper Austrians – with a header from a corner in the fourth minute and a remarkable one at the start of the second half with a heel (50′). The 20-year-old scored all four of his Bundesliga goals against the promoted team.
“Apparently Blau-Weiß Linz suits him quite well,” said WSG coach Thomas Silberberger after the game. “I predicted it to him today. He has an extreme ability to breathe. He did an outstanding job in the standard situation. And in the 2-0 game he did a great job of sticking his foot out. The boy can be worth his weight in gold for us.”
In general, Silberberger was and is always confident in his offensive abilities. “We already have a unique selling point in the qualifying group because we play with two center strikers. No other team does that,” the coach wanted to emphasize not only Diarra’s qualities but also those of Nik Prelec. “The two of them harmonize better and better and are always dangerous.”
Linz’s goal made the game even more exciting
In addition to a strong offense, you also need at least an equally good defense to be successful. The home team didn’t allow anything for a long time before Linz made it 1-2 at the start of the final phase with a remarkable goal from Kristijan Dobras (75′). The goal gave the guests a boost, the Tyroleans seemed unsettled. In the end, from the WSG’s point of view, the result was achieved over time.
Why did it get exciting again at the end? “The concentration has dropped a bit. Physically you’ve also noticed that the last few games have cost a lot mentally and physically. We now have to slow down a bit, regenerate and then the whole thing will get better,” explained Kofi Schulz.
Captain Valentino Müller tried to see the positive side. “Unfortunately it got exciting again, but in the end I don’t care because the victory is all that counts.”
The Tyroleans are now unbeaten for four games in a row (two wins, two draws). “We played against the three other teams who are in the relegation battle (Lustenau, Altach, BW Linz, note.), scored seven points. Nobody would have thought we could do that. Now we’re eight points ahead,” Silberberger calculated. “We definitely can’t rest. Now we have the Austria-Vienna double. A lot can happen in the other games, so it will be tight again.”
Scheiblehner: “The first half wasn’t ready for the Bundesliga”
So nothing is lost for Blau-Weiß Linz, but nothing is gained either. The Upper Austrians are five points ahead of last place after matchday 26.
Head coach Gerald Scheiblehner saw two faces of his team on Saturday evening. “The first half really wasn’t ready for the Bundesliga. After the 2-0 (for the WSG, note.) we changed and did it well. With luck we can play a draw here. Ultimately, the WSG deserved the victory over 90 minutes.”
Why did you only get going after Dobras’ goal in the 75th minute? “It has to do with self-confidence. When you score, you realize that it’s possible,” said Scheiblehner and spoke about Mehmet Ibrahimi’s best chance to equalize. Shortly before the end, the German finished from around eleven meters, but was denied by WSG keeper Adam Stejskal, who narrowed the angle well.
“We did well and had a 100 percent chance of scoring through Ibrahimi. But a good half is simply not enough to score points. We have to improve clearly and quickly, otherwise we won’t win many games,” said Scheiblehner.
Blue and white has nothing to give away
Austria Lustenau’s derby defeat is of course a benefit for the Upper Austrians, “but I would prefer that we win our games. Then I don’t care what Lustenau or the others do. Of course it would have been a huge chance today, but now we have, I think there are still enough games in which we can win,” said Stefan Feier in an interview after the game.
“We simply have nothing to give away. We have to learn from it and perform better against Altach,” summed up Scheiblehner and was already looking ahead to the tasks ahead.
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2024-04-13 20:31:24
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